Description

Green Chartreuse Liqueur

Chartreuse, it is more than 4 centuries of history since the handing over of the manuscript by François Hannibal d’Estrées in 1605. It took more than 150 years of research for the Carthusian monks (les Chartreux) to unravel the secret of the manuscript and fix the recipe for the Elixir Végétal in 1764. At the beginning of the 19th century, the development of a new “Table Elixir” gave birth to the Green Chartreuse and the Yellow Chartreuse in 1840. Since then, they have been able to keep and transmit their precious know-how and , even today, these recipes constitute the main product of the Chartreux Fathers.

The history of the Chartreuse liqueur traces its origins to the late 11th century when the Carthusian monks settled in the Chartreuse massif and cultivated medicinal plants for their elixir of “long life.” Over the years, they refined a secret recipe made from 130 plants, leading to the creation of both a potent elixir and later a commercial liqueur. The Carthusians faced societal upheavals—including the French Revolution, expulsions, relocations of their distilleries, and world wars, but they persisted, adapting production and branding through generations.

Since the 1950s the brand has reinforced its identity with modern bottle design and international marketing, endured a decline in the 1980s, and then revived by embracing craft, authenticity and regional heritage. Today Chartreuse enjoys global recognition and appears in elite gastronomy and cocktail culture. With a future-looking initiative called “Grand Avenir,” the brand intends to remain rooted in its monastic traditions while continuing to evolve with limited editions, new distillation sites and a continued focus on preservation and innovation.

Created in 1840, the “Liqueur de Santé” is the first liqueur made from the original recipe of the Elixir Végétal de la Grande Chartreuse. It was so popular that Father Garnier, attorney and responsible for the liqueurs at the time, later decided to officially name it ‘Chartreuse Verte’, and registered the “Chartreuse” mark in 1852. It is still produced and manufactured today by the Chartreux Fathers in their Aiguenoire distillery in Entre-Deux-Guiers (Isère – France).

Chartreuse Verte derives its unique character from its natural color, power, and aromatic complexity created from 130 plants, flowers, bark, roots, and spices. Its development requires several weeks of meticulous work and goes through several stages, beginning with the grinding of ingredients by the monks in the plant room at the Grande Chartreuse monastery. The process continues with distillation to capture the aroma, followed by different types of maceration that extract the active ingredients from the plants and give the liqueur its natural color. It then ages for an extended period in truncated cone-shaped oak vats before being bottled, where it continues to evolve and develop greater depth and complexity over time.

Green Chartreuse Liqueur Notes To Your Senses:

• APPEARANCE: Bright green
• AROMA: Powerfully herbaceous and peppery
• TASTE: A fresh palate with minty notes, pine sap and citrus fruits
• FINISH: Lingering with notes of bittersweet tea
• ABV: 55%